3.2 Multiple Qualification Testing & Layout

3.2 Multiple Qualification Testing & Layout

Multiple qualification under API 1104:2021 Section 6.3 gives a welder the broadest possible authorization. Both test welds must use the same process (or combination of processes) and the same Table 4 filler metal group(s), and the two tests may be taken in any order.

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1. The Two Test Welds

Test 1 — Fixed-Position Butt Weld

• Pipe size: outside diameter of at least 6.625 in. (168.3 mm) with a specified wall thickness of at least 0.250 in. (6.4 mm) — without a backing strip.
• Position: fixed, with the pipe axis horizontal (5G) or inclined not more than 45° from horizontal (6G). The pipe is not rotated.
• Execution: the welder deposits the complete joint — root, hot, fill, and cap passes — under the qualified WPS, and the weld must pass visual examination (6.4) plus destructive testing (6.5) or NDT (6.6).
• Large pipe option (> 12-3/4 in. OD): the test may be welded as a full circumference, as a half circumference by one welder, or as a half-circumference dual-welder test (two welders each completing half, 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock, each including top, side, and bottom portions). Specimens come only from each welder's own half, never from overlap regions.

Test 2 — Size-on-Size Branch Connection

• Configuration: the welder lays out, cuts, fits, and welds a branch-on-pipe connection in which the run and branch specified diameters are equal (size-on-size), on pipe of at least 2.375 in. (60.3 mm) OD with wall thickness of at least 0.250 in. (6.4 mm).
• Hole and bevel: a hole approximately equal to the branch inside diameter is cut in the run; whether the welder cuts the hole and whether templates or cutting guides may be used are company decisions.
• Position: run pipe fixed horizontal; branch axis extending vertically downward from the run or projecting from the side of the run.
• Retest rule: if the welder fails either the butt or the branch test weld, only the failed weld is retested; the company may require both to be repeated.

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2. What Multiple Qualification Authorizes (6.3 Scope)

Essential variables that void the qualification: a change of welding process or combination, a change of direction (vertical up ↔ down), or a change of Table 4 filler metal group — the pass-combination rules of 6.2.2 also apply.

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3. Specimen Requirements

The butt weld is tested per Table 7 (see Section 3.3): for example, a test on pipe greater than 12.750 in. OD with wall ≤ 0.500 in. requires 4 nick-break + 2 root bend + 2 face bend = 8 specimens. The branch connection is tested with 4 nick-break specimens removed at the Figure 10/11 locations and evaluated to the 5.8.3 soundness limits.

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4. Keeping the Qualification Alive

API 1104 does not attach a calendar expiration to welder qualification. Two external mechanisms do the job instead:

1. Federal pipeline safety regulations. For U.S. gas pipelines, 49 CFR 192.229 bars a welder from welding unless, within the preceding 6 calendar months, the welder has had at least one weld tested and found acceptable under API 1104 Section 6 (or Section 12, or ASME IX for the stated alternative). The hazardous-liquid rule, 49 CFR 195.222, contains the same 6-month requirement. Contractors therefore run continuity logs and requalify welders whose process use lapses.
2. Company authority (6.8). The company maintains the list of qualified welders and may require requalification whenever a question arises about the welder's competence — for example after a run of rejectable production welds.

Practical Test-Day Rules (6.1-6.3)

• The welder is allowed reasonable time to adjust the welding equipment before starting, and fits up the test joint personally — layout and assembly are part of the skill being tested. Templates may assist preparation.
• Qualification is conducted in the presence of a representative acceptable to the company.
• When only half the circumference or a segment is welded, precautions against distortion (tack welds, fixturing) may be needed so the required specimens can still be removed.
• A welder who satisfactorily completes the procedure qualification test joint is also a qualified welder, provided the 6.5 specimen requirements are met for each welder — one test joint can qualify both the WPS and the welder (6.1).
• A "qualified welder" under this standard has demonstrated the ability to produce welds meeting Section 5, 6, 10, or Annex B requirements (3.1.40); mechanized work instead produces a "qualified welding operator" under Section 12 (3.1.41).